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Hudson Bay Cemetery – Heritage Matters

Hudson Bay Co. Outpost Cemetery – Heritage Lesson of Research and Determination Abandoned – Not Forgotten Cemetery Genealogy – Tracing Heritage – One Person – Our Heritage by Back Roads Bill Found it. The first thing you notice as you climb the clay river bank is the rhubarb, lilac bushes and Forget-me-not plants, not native to the boreal forest. Someone once lived here for sure, an initial impression and sense of place. It is not far from a destination where you will enjoy a breathtaking vista, a towering gorge and revel in the sounds of the roaring water as it plunges into a pool many tens of metres below. In the background you can hear the sound of heavy machinery working in a wilderness environment; it is the noise of progress near New Post Falls. Because of the narrow gorge it has a great deal of mist. One of the most scenic accessible but unknown waterfalls is now changing and it is going back to what it once was....

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A Marsh That Matters – Temiskaming Shores

A Marsh that Matters – Continental Flyway Stopover Volunteers – Birders’ Paradise “Hummers” and New Species Bird Banding Centre – Photographers Dream Destination by Back Roads Bill Not sure if this is a story about a wetland that matters or listening to hummingbird’s heart beat? These are real “hummers” alright, not the once iconic, 4X4 luxurious off-road vehicle. And for the adage, “Birds of a feather flock together,” it is not necessarily true. If you are a “birder” or not, the Hilliardton Marsh just north of Temiskaming Shores (New Liskeard) comprises 728 hectares (1798 acres); it is designated as a provincially significant wetland and wildlife area. A marsh is different from a swamp, fen or bog, it is an area of low-lying land that is flooded in wet seasons and typically remains waterlogged at all times.   It is also the home for the Hilliardton Marsh Bird & Wetland Research & Education Centre (HM). Around for about two decades it remains a work in progress indicative of a fledgling volunteer...

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Joseph Boyden – ‘Through Black Spruce’ and Inspiration

BIG Story Joseph Boyden – His Inspiration – NE Ontario – ‘Through Black Spruce’ “Sit” “Magic” and “Me” Locations in NE Ontario Where and Why Visitors Visit Their “BIG” Thoughtful Spots by Back Roads Bill (Editor’s note. Joseph Boyden, the award-winning author whose work vividly documents the complexity of Canada’s indigenous history, is among the recent latest appointments to the Order of Canada. Just before the announcement Back Roads Bill, through Penguin Random House Canada, was able to interview the Giller Prize Winner and about “thoughtful places” – the location for his ongoing inspiration.) Winnie the Pooh. His reflective location was a log under a tree marked by a sign that read, “Pooh’s thotful spot.” It was the place where Pooh did his best thinking. It was where he got his inspiration when his well ran dry. Often when Pooh visits his thoughtful spot, he sits down, taps his head, closes one eye, and says, “Think, think, think.” That is a sign that he is thinking hard. Visitors journey...

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‘Canoe Country’ Book and Roy McGregor

‘Canoe Country’ – Why Northeastern Ontario and the Mattawa River is Highlighted More than Sense of Place – The Mattawa Our National Icon – The Canoe National Writer – Roy MacGregor – Iconic Book – LIKE the Canoe A Salute to Back Roads Bill Christmas Gift Idea by Back Roads Bill (Editor’s note. Through Penguin Random House Canada Back Roads Bill was able to interview Roy MacGregor and ask questions about the author’s new book, ‘Canoe Country.’ In one of his own books, ‘Steer to Northern Ontario’ Bill has written extensively about the canoe and the many heritage features of Northeastern Ontario Rivers, including the Mattawa River MacGregor uses for heritage appreciation.)   Sometimes we look for inanimate objects to explain our raison d’être or very existence. Some patriots think the canoe made Canada. The aboriginals needed it to survive. No canoe, no exploration or fur trade, no commerce or settlement. David Thompson would never have mapped Canada. No works of art by the Group of Seven. How would...

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NE Ontario – Cross Country Skiing Galore

Not Only BIG But Many Opportunities Cross Country 101 Cross Country Skiing Like Canoeing Northeastern Ontario Has It Winter Wonderland – Where to Go by Back Roads Bill Steer (Editor’s note. Back Roads Bill looks at the many cross country ski clubs (most offer snowshoe trails as well) that dot the landscape of Northeastern Ontario.   He keeps it simple, with CCX 101, why you should ski, along with some general tips for getting started. He says, “get out and stay out… enjoy the winter and our northern hospitality – Vitamin N – Naturally.” When it snows, why not make for the cross-country ski trails? Like canoeing cross country skiing is a limited-time option. But that’s the reason to choose Northeastern Ontario it is known for both. Nordic, or cross-country skiing is popular with all age groups in Ontario, and no wonder. We have hundreds of kilometres of groomed trails, for an activity that epitomizes wellness for mind and body. There are also back-country trails for the more adventurous explorers....

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Back Roads Trail Find – Timmins

What You Find On The Back Roads Trail of Passion and Love Memories that Matter – Natural Celebration by Back Roads Bill The back roads contain interesting stories. There is a trail in the north like no other. Why do we place our hand on monuments, walls of honour, plaques, headstones and memorial photos? It is an act of remembering and celebrating an event we relate to or to those no longer with us. We connect because our memories process information by encoding, storing and retrieving. We walk and snowshoe trails because they are full of adventure and are just waiting to be explored (winter was mentioned in passing). There are other motivations. Estelle and Leo Duciaume enjoyed the long walks they used to take with their daughter, Nicole. That was years ago when their daughter was alive as a toddler, child, teenager, woman and mother. She left behind her husband Darren and baby daughter, Kennedy. “She left us with wonderful memories of herself and left us with her...

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